Subject: Shiny green smooth Beetle? Geographic location of the bug: 4 pm downtown Hillsboro, OR, May 23, 2018, sunny 90 degree day Date: 05/23/2018 Time: 02:47 AM EDT Your letter to the bugman: Trying to identify this bug/beetle and not having success. Any help would be appreciated. How you want your letter signed: Thanks in advance

Golden Buprestid

At first we thought this might be a Golden Buprestid or possibly a related species Buprestis adjecta which is pictured on BugGuide, but we will do additional research on the species.

Subject: Possible Fairy or Yucca Moth Geographic location of the bug: Nature Trail in SE New Mexico Date: 05/22/2018 Time: 11:35 PM EDT Your letter to the bugman: We found this guy last weekend while walking on a nature trail in SE New Mexico. We almost missed him. He is so tiny. We weren’t even sure it was an insect until we took a closer look. He was so small, we couldn’t get the camera to focus on it without putting a hand behind it. The next day I found two on the same bush, or at least one in the same area. They didn’t move the entire time we examined them. We looked on line, and the closest match we could find was fairy moths or yucca moths. However, we could not see any antenna on the guys we found. The photos on the Bug Guide site all seemed to have noticeable antenna. There are yucca and ocotillo on the nature trail, but none of them are in bloom, yet. Thanks for all you do to educate us. How you want your letter signed: Curious

Flatid Planthopper

Dear Curious, We do not believe these are moths. In our opinion, they look like Flatid Planthopper, possibly Flatormenis saucia which is pictured on BugGuide and is reported from New Mexico, or possibly a different species. Flatid Planthoppers are Free-Living Hemipterans that feed by sucking fluids from plants with their piercing mouthparts.

Thanks for the fast turnaround! I looked around quite a bit in What’s That Bug and the Bug Guide, but didn’t find these. Thanks for the answer.

Didn’t Charles Darwin once say that all his studies of nature taught him that God is inordinately fond of beetles? (and bugs, too). There are so many, if you don’t have a name to search on it’s just luck trying to find what you’re looking for.

Subject: Ornate white lined shield bug needs a name! Geographic location of the bug: Cheyenne, Wyoming Date: 05/21/2018 Time: 01:27 PM EDT Your letter to the bugman: My friend sent me a picture of this shield bug. However, I have never seen anything like it. Moths, yes, but not a shield bug. Could you please help me narrow down the shield bug identification? Thank you!! How you want your letter signed: Fish Seal

Subject: Some find similar to d. coach horse/oil beetle(Staphylinidae) Geographic location of the bug: Granada, Spain Date: 05/22/2018 Time: 10:09 AM EDT Your letter to the bugman: Hello Dr. Found “she” on a basin in Sierra Nevada 20 days ago, had amazing size about 7cm long and due to the fact rove beetles are the biggest branch +64000 described and +800 just in GB its kind difficult to name it. May you help me to find out? How you want your letter signed: Dr Pachanga

Blister Beetle

Dear Dr. Pachanga,This is not a Rove Beetle, but rather a Blister Beetle, and its red eyes are startling. We wish your close-up had more clear details. We believe we have correctly identified it as Berberomeloe insignis thanks to images by Peter Greenwood on FlickR here and again here on FlickR.

Subject: Large bee Geographic location of the bug: Berks County Pennsylvania Date: 05/20/2018 Time: 11:13 PM EDTYour letter to the bugman — This bee was found in my garage. I’ve never seen one so big. Unfortunately it was killed before I could get to it. The picture doesn’t do it justice. It’s about the thickness of a pinky finger. The giant Asian hornet is the only thing I could find that looked similar. Should I be worried? How you want your letter signed: Oswald

European Hornet

Dear Oswald, This is a European Hornet, a species introduced to North America toward the end of the Nineteenth Century. It has naturalized. Though European Hornets are not aggressive, they will sting to defend a nest.